book test Archives - Bicycle Cards

Other Brothers – Words Beyond – review

Phil Sweeting — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 23:01:48 +0000

Words Beyond is a clever new (ish!) book test from the Other Brothers. Of the making of book tests there seems to be no end – so what’s different about this one? Read on in our review to find out.

What is it?

I’m kind of assuming you know what a book test is? But if not, Words Beyond enables you to be able to reveal the word that a spectator is thinking of from a freely chosen page in a book – all without any ‘fishing’. Well, that’s not strictly accurate. Words Beyond enables you to reveal the letters in the word that a spectator is thinking of from a freely chosen page in a book. And there is the tiniest, most imperceptible bit of fishing involved – depending on which presentation you go for. More of that later.

What do you get?

You get the special book – a standard ‘perfect bound’ paperback – which comes shrink-wrapped and then within a cardboard sleeve for protection. You also get a link to online video instructions (just over half an hour) and a link to a single page pdf with some extra ideas from Chris Rawlins and Rob Dobson.

What do we think?

The big selling point here is ‘no fishing’ – and that certainly makes it a strong effect. It uses a simple but subtle method which also makes it very easy to do. You don’t really need any memory work – though you might want to use a simple crib if you really struggle to retain information. And cunningly the book actually contains a crib ‘hidden in plain sight’.

As I mention above you are technically revealing the letters in the word rather than the word itself. From an audience point of view, I’m not sure that really makes much difference. And there are a number of presentational approaches you could take (most obviously ‘hangman’!) which can obscure this.

I’ve seen a number of book tests over the years and have never seen this specific method before – so as far as I know it is a new one.

The Other Brothers teach several different ideas for presentation and there are a few further thoughts on the pdf. There’s certainly plenty to work with and to get your own ideas flowing. The teaching is straightforward and easy to watch.

Words Beyond also incorporates another neat feature. It enables a sort of version of the Hoy Book Test (You can learn the original on this excellent DVD, or Andrew Gerard’s thoughts are well worth a watch – and he also teaches the original). This adds an extra and strong reveal from a second ungimmicked book. And utilising both elements combine for an even stronger routine. They teach a full two book routine on the video which is very strong.

The book itself will take casual flick through, but you wouldn’t want to read the prose. And the ‘Hoy’ feature also means you don’t want the spectator taking a long time over it. But the routine doesn’t require them to handle the book for long – so with basic spectator management I don’t see any problems.

Finally, it seems to me very good value given that you receive the specially produced book.

If you like book tests, or are in the market for an easy one, then Words Beyond comes highly recommended. You can pick it up from the Merchant of Magic for £32.99 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

Liked it? Share it...

The post Other Brothers – Words Beyond – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Josh Zandman – Christmas Carol Book Test – review

Phil Sweeting — Sat, 11 Nov 2017 00:01:26 +0000

A Christmas Carol Book Test potentially solves one of the major problems with any book test – what’s the justification for the use of a particular book for this routine? Read on in our review to find out more…

What is it?

You really should be able to answer that question yourself! This is essentially a specially printed copy of Dickens’ classic – A Christmas Carol – which enables you to perform a book test. There are many different methods which have been developed over the years for this kind of effect which have different strengths and weaknesses. This one uses (with permission) a variation on a well-known principle used in another commercially book test.

The result of this is an incredibly streamlined and efficient method. The ad-copy is entirely accurate – you simply riffle through the book and at any time the spectator can say stop (no force) and look at the first word on the page, at which point you already know what it is – without any memory work or any need to ask questions etc.

What do we think?

The method is so straightforward that you can concentrate entirely on the presentation. And you can hand out the book which can be examined with very little risk of anyone noticing anything untoward.

As I hinted in the introduction, another significant strength is that the title of the book means it can easily be justified – in a seasonal show. And even at other times of the year it is such a well-known title that it shouldn’t arouse suspicion.

The Christmas Carol Book Test book is nicely printed and although not a standard size for paperback novels, these days books come in all shapes and sizes, so again problem there. And the size actually means you could use this easily in a walkaround context.

Scrooge’s point of view

If I had two minor negatives they would be the following. It is quite expensive – but an enormous amount of work has gone into producing this specially printed book. But a quality effect is worth paying for – especially if you’re performing for a living – so I don’t think this is too much.

Secondly, the instructions felt a little bit sparse to me. They certainly cover everything you need to know from a ‘mechanics’ point of view – but there is not much help in terms of presentation. Perhaps this is a sign that it is aimed at people who are experienced performers and would have no difficulty on that side of things?

But with those two minor quibbles, this comes highly recommended. I can see this going straight into my working set. The Christmas Carol Book Test is available from MagicShop.co.uk for £46.50 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

Liked it? Share it...

The post Josh Zandman – Christmas Carol Book Test – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Steve Dela – Will to Read – review

Phil Sweeting — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 00:01:13 +0000

Another magic review, do you have the will to read on? I hope so, because this is a cracking release from Steve Dela. Will To Read is a really clever development of the ‘Free Will’ principle which adds a great presentational angle and fits in your wallet or pocket so you can have it with you anywhere. So let’s get straight to…

The effect

In essence, a prediction which is a page from a book, is left in full view. The spectator then makes several free choices about where to place 3 objects – and the text of the book is shown to perfectly match their decisions.

That’s a very bare-bones description – and Peter Nardi includes a very clever alternative presentational hook which possibly makes the effect even more convincing.

The page itself has several other features built in which enable you to do a book-test type revelation of a merely thought of word, and another aspect which ties in with another Alakazam release – the BIP test.

What do you get

You get several copies of the printed page from the book – you shouldn’t really need replacements but it is handy to have them. Also some envelopes which can be use in different versions of the effect and a DVD that runs to a little over an hour and explains all the routines and details of the effect. It’s a no frills video, but it clear and easy to follow.

In case you haven’t already picked up on this, I think this is a wonderful effect! Steve has worked out some brilliant subtleties which massively increase the effectiveness of the ‘Free Will’ aspect of the effect. I love the portability of the props and the premises of the presentations.

The base effect is itself very strong – but the extra possibilities are fantastic. The ‘book test’ reveal is incredible (and actually makes me want to buy the book test whose principle it incorporates). If you do own the BIP test then you can you use that to get another extra effect – and you have almost a complete act in one piece of paper!

I’m struggling to think of any negatives to this. I suppose it is English language only – but that wouldn’t be a problem to most of our readers! I’m not 100% sure I would use this in normal strolling – it is the sort of effect (especially if you use a couple of phases) that you might want to use in a setting where you had a little more time.

On the positive side, the props are well printed, take up no space, the effect is strong, there’s no reset – apart from putting the page back in the envelope. It even comes in very nice packaging! We love it – and it will definitely be going into our pocket for performance at the drop of a hat.

Will to Read is highly recommended and available from our friends at the Merchant of Magic for £34.99 (at the time of writing)

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

Liked it? Share it...

The post Steve Dela – Will to Read – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.